“Oh, by the way,” Jiang Pengji whispered, her voice barely audible, “if our clan still hasn’t found us by tomorrow morning, I’ll take you all down the mountain.
Also, make sure to bolt the door tight.
Don’t open it for strangers…
Because…
perhaps…
some people…
can’t wait for the seven-day mourning period…
and want to…
come back…
for a visit…”
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet dozens of degrees, instantly dropping below freezing.
Hearing Jiang Pengji’s faint, ghostly voice, the women all burst into synchronized screams.
Hearing the chorus of shrieks behind her, Jiang Pengji’s mood instantly brightened, and the smile on her lips widened uncontrollably.
Although I’m being a bit calculating, these girls are truly adorable sometimes.
System: I already knew your moral compass was broken, but Host, I think you’re exceptionally wicked.
The System had every reason to believe that the noble ladies in that room would curse Jiang Pengji and burn effigies of her for the rest of their lives.
After all, they were noblewomen, raised from childhood to be the epitome of grace and decorum.
Yet Jiang Pengji was so malicious that she had repeatedly caused them to lose their composure and abandon their refined manners.
It would be strange if they didn’t hold a lifelong grudge.
“Only people who are a little bit naughty are truly endearing,” Jiang Pengji said, her expression practically saying, You just don’t get it.
System: “…”
Do you seriously think everyone has a masochistic streak?
Tonight, the moon was completely shrouded in dark clouds, leaving no light to guide the way.
The darkness was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
This didn’t affect Jiang Pengji much, though.
Her night vision had always been excellent.
Even though the original owner of this body suffered from slight myopia, her vision was still better than that of an ordinary person after the 0.3% fusion.
With her five senses working in harmony, Jiang Pengji moved through the night as if walking on level ground.
Drawing on her extensive wilderness survival experience, she soon made a discovery.
She found the bows and arrows from the bandit stronghold.
After a quick test, she found the loose bowstrings and crude arrows to be utterly inadequate tools.
Thwip—thwip—thwip—
Without even pausing to aim, Jiang Pengji drew three arrows from the quiver, pulled the bow to full draw, and loosed them without a moment’s hesitation.
The faint thuds of the arrows striking solid targets indicated she’d hit her mark.
“The snakes of the ancient era were so cute…
but these ones are a bit small.
I bet they wouldn’t even be two bites’ worth…”
Jiang Pengji offered a heartfelt compliment.
In her era, a snake could crush a thatched hut just by rolling over.
At that moment, four sparse white bullet comments drifted across the live stream screen.
Besides Unlucky Stowaway, who was scared to death but still refused to leave, there were three unfamiliar IDs, probably people who had accidentally clicked into this channel.
Orchid May Wither, Jade Remains Unbroken: It’s so dark, I can’t see anything at all.
Is the streamer not here?
Boyfriend Upstairs: The channel description seems pretty interesting…
Wujiang Pickled Mustard Vegetable: This channel is so deserted…
Is it a new streamer?
Unlucky Stowaway: Yeah, this is a must-visit channel for horror enthusiasts seeking thrills…
The newly arrived viewers were all bewildered.
Wasn’t the channel name “Palace Intrigue Live Stream”?
What did it have to do with horror enthusiasts?
With no outsiders around, Jiang Pengji spoke directly, “Is it too dark to see?”
Just as she finished speaking, the System silently activated the infrared panoramic shooting mode to allow the viewers to see the scene of Jiang Pengji’s hunt.
However, before the viewers could witness her heroic figure never missing a shot, they saw up close how she dealt with the venomous snake.
Every movement was crystal clear, and her speed was not slow at all.
The carefully processed venom fangs and venom glands were all stored away by her.
The System nudged Jiang Pengji, trying its luck.
“You promised me you’d livestream…
You should talk occasionally and interact with the viewers…”
She was in a good mood right now, and the System’s request didn’t cross any of her boundaries.
Jiang Pengji gave a noncommittal hum of agreement.
“Now, we’ll livestream how to hunt for food in the wild…” Just consider it a private tutoring session for the slackers in the Seventh Legion, Jiang Pengji sighed inwardly.
After all, she’d been an instructor and had experience teaching.
“In my hand, I have a beautiful little lady…”
The audience was left utterly bewildered.
“…”
The era gap was too vast.
The biological encyclopedias she’d read in the past were completely useless.
However, the laws of biological evolution remained consistent.
Relying on her own rich experience, she could still explain the toxicity of the “beautiful little lady” and the “handsome young man” in her hands, as well as their preferred habitats.
“…Compared to processing their fangs, I’d actually prefer to demonstrate how to use them to stave off hunger.
The meat is delicious…”
In the background, the System had already curled up in a ball of misery.
It was a Palace Intrigue Live Streaming System, not a Conquest Live Streaming System, nor a Survival Live Streaming System, and certainly not a Gourmet Live Streaming System!
Before she could even explain how to judge a snake’s age or the quality of its meat, Jiang Pengji’s brows furrowed.
She drew her bow and notched an arrow.
“My luck’s good tonight.
It’s a big one…
The young ladies will have a feast…”
She smiled, but the System was so distraught it couldn’t even cry.
In truth, Jiang Pengji’s strictly by-the-book livestreaming was quite dull.
But who could blame the viewers?
After all, her body’s stunning beauty was a cut above the rest…
More importantly, her audience consisted of bored night owls who just kept the channel open to kill time.
With her good fortune, sharp senses, and extensive wilderness experience, she always found her prey’s hiding spot in no time.
Half an hour later, her haul was impressive.
She shouldered her kill and prepared to head back.
Though the bandits had all been sent to their graves, there was no guarantee that starving beasts wouldn’t roam down the mountain in search of food, or that strangers might wander into the area.
Those young ladies were timid.
She couldn’t rest easy leaving them alone in the deep mountain bandit stronghold.
Jiang Pengji strode back with a steady, brisk pace.
Even with dozens of pounds of game on her shoulders, her speed didn’t falter in the slightest.
Little did she know, the timid young ladies she was worrying about were currently enduring a heart-stoppingly terrifying ordeal.
The day’s events had far exceeded the noblewomen’s wildest imaginations.
After being utterly exhausted, each of them wore a look of sheer weariness.
The roaring flames cast a crimson glow on their pretty faces.
No one spoke; or perhaps, they simply didn’t know what to say.
The young noblewomen’s usual activities were all refined and elegant.
When a close-knit group of friends gathered, they would chat about the latest trends in rouge and incense, or the newest silk flower hair ornaments.
They might discuss the poetry and prose of the most celebrated scholars and beauties of the day, or perhaps play a game of cipai poetry…
and the day would pass in a blur.
But now…
they were all a disheveled mess, their stomachs churning with a hunger that gnawed at their bellies.
Though the bonfire kept them warm, it did nothing to quell the hunger within.
A young noblewoman, about Shangguan Wan’s age, pursed her lips as her stomach let out an unseemly gurgle.
“I’m so hungry…”
Wan Xiuer comforted her in a low voice.
“Liu Xi said she was going out to hunt.
She should be back soon.
Just hold on a little longer.”
“But she’s bullying us…”
The scare she’d given them before leaving was so bad that now, at the slightest rustle, she jumped, terrified that a ghost had appeared.
Shangguan Wan, boredly sketching in the dirt by the fire pit, looked up and couldn’t help but retort.
“Hmph.
You only think of Brother Lanting when you’re hungry.
Why don’t you think about how dangerous it is outside in the middle of the night…”
Wei Jingxian discreetly tugged at her sleeve, signaling Shangguan Wan not to provoke them further.
Right now, they were all fallen tigers on a flat plain, but once they returned, they would still be living in luxury.
Anyone who felt resentful might just decide to trip them up from the shadows.